The Pros and Cons of a cubicle
by Ficwriter93
Summary: When Oliver Queen was forced to change career paths he never thought he'd end up sitting at a desk selling merchandise over the internet. The only problem? Oliver has no idea how to use computers! Luckily he makes a friend in IT who's happy to show him the ropes. Will he find success? His job and his heart may depend on it. Olicity, T mild language and suggestive references only!
1. The Gremlin

**A/N- Hello everyone, I've got a new Olicity story. I've been itching to find an idea for a new piece lately and stumbled upon this one, but if you're reading my other arrow story, "Smoak Technologies" don't worry I'll be continuing with that one too. This story will be loosely inspired by events currently happening in my own life, it seems that's the best way to find inspiration for me. This story will also feature at least a few non-canon characters, I wouldn't call them full-fledged OCs since I don't plan on any of them becoming major parts of the story but just warning you that you may see some names you're unfamiliar with. If you're coming over from my other stories thanks so much for the continued support and if you're a new reader thanks to you as well for checking out my work. I hope you all enjoy!**

 **The Pros and Cons of a Cubicle**

* * *

 **Chapter 1-The Gremlin**

"Queen!" A loud irritable voice echoed across the office floor. "Oliver Queen!"

"Oh crap," Oliver sighed and froze in place. "Not again." Oliver closed his eyes and pretended not to exist, maybe if he, stayed still and quiet he'd just disappear and the owner of that voice wouldn't be able to find him. Oliver's hopes were dashed when another cry rang out and was followed by firm, frantic footsteps.

"Hey Oliver, The Gremlin's looking for you!"

Oliver's eyes shot up to meet those of Roy Harper, his coworker and designated work buddy of the past few months. Roy's face poked over the wall of his cubicle as he looked down at his unfortunate friend and chuckled.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Oliver replied sarcastically and slumped back in his chair.

"How many times is that, At least five today right? Man, that guy's really got it in for you."

"Tell me something thing I don't know." Oliver cautiously pushed himself up in his chair and stretched his neck just enough to peer over the cubicle, he quickly searched the direction the disgruntled chants were coming from and groaned when his eyes fell upon the source. A wrinkled forehead sporting a poorly done combover was fast approaching, barely visible as it glided past the other workspaces. A few coworkers who were brave enough to stand in its path were quickly nudged aside and grumbled at the rude gesture.

"Guess he's in a bad mood today…again," Roy observed.

"Looks like it, I just wish I wasn't the one to put him in it for once."

"Hang in there, you'll get the hang of things soon enough," Roy encouraged.

"Mr. Queen!" Another cry rang out.

"Oop time to hide!" Roy announced before swiftly ducking back into his own cubicle.

Oliver let out another deep sigh and gripped the arms of his chair firmly, he braced himself for the incessant ramblings that he knew were coming next. _"You need this job, you need this job, you need this job,"_ Oliver repeated to himself. _"You need this-"_

"Oliver!" The aforementioned voice interrupted his thoughts. Oliver turned to face the source of his despair, his eyes lifted and were greeted by a pair of folded arms and a scowl that had become all too familiar as of late. "Yes Mr. Willer, is there a problem?"

Fredric Willer, the specimen currently standing before Oliver was not one most people would likely classify as strong. Fredric was a small man in most senses of the word, he was physically short measuring in at just over four and a half feet which paled in comparison to the six foot one that Oliver boasted. Fredric had also gained a negative reputation around the Office, some might describe it as having a few screws loose. He never seemed to be in a good mood, and never had friendly conversations or joked and laughed along with any of his employees. Not once had anyone ever seen the man crack a smile. Fredric, or Mr. Willer as he firmly instructed everyone to address him, was also prone to randomly lashing out at anyone in his immediate vicinity for no apparent reason whatsoever. All these things combined created a very hostile personality that had earned him a fair amount of disdain among his employees and throughout the company as a whole. If it weren't for the fact that his name was on the building, people might wonder how he was able to hold a job at all. Let alone a management position

Fredric's unique brand of sophistication and charm had also earned him several snarky and clever nicknames around the office. The most recent one, "The Gremlin" had quickly become everyone's favorite. That had been Roy's doing.

"Is there a problem?" Fredric gasped as if he'd been baffled by the question. "Why yes, there is a problem, Oliver." The grumpy little man grabbed the folder he'd tucked under his arm and waved it in Oliver's face, "Have you seen your sales reports for this month? Have you Oliver?"

"Of course I have sir, I submitted th-"

"I don't think you have!" Fredric interrupted.

Oliver drew in a deep breath as his grip tightened around his chair's armrests. The most annoying thing about Fredric Willer was probably his irksome habit of overusing a person's name when he was upset with them. Oliver prepared himself to hear it at least a hundred more times over the course of this latest lecture.

"If you had Oliver you would know that there are several errors in this report that only a child could make, now I know I don't have the best eyesight," Fredric pushed his glasses up on his nose and continued. "Still I think I can tell that you Mr. Queen are not a child, therefore I can only assume that you've been sneaking one into the office and letting them loose on your keyboard, or that my original assumptions were correct and you are not cut out for this position Oliver!"

Oliver gritted his teeth and did his best to keep his mouth shut, _"You need this job_ , _"_ he reminded himself.

"Oliver? Are you even listening to me, Mr. Queen?"

"Yes Mr. Willer," Oliver answered with an unintended hint of contempt in his voice.

Fredric stared back for a moment before shaking his head and invading Oliver's personal space. Oliver moved himself aside to allow Fredric access to his desk and sighed as the little man began typing on his computer. Fredric pulled up the software that his employees used to input and update all of their sales reports, he opened Oliver's most recent submission and looked the page over. "No no no, this is all wrong." Fredric pressed one of his stubby fingers to the screen, "Look at these entries here, and that was not done correctly…this is wrong as well. Oliver if these numbers are to be believed then you've lost us nearly five hundred dollars in the last two weeks."

"That's not true sir, I just made a few mistakes in my reports."

"You think I don't know that, Oliver?" Fredric fired back. "I know everything that goes on in this office Mr. Queen, nothing escapes my ever watchful eye." A small chuckle escaped the confines of Roy's cubicle. "I don't believe this conversation concerns you, Mr. Harper!"

"Sorry sir," Roy replied with a residual hint of laughter.

"As I was saying," Fredric rolled his eyes and continued. "I know that money didn't just disappear into thin air, no in this case, just like _so many_ others over these past few weeks boils down to nothing but human error. Specifically your's Mr. Queen," Fredric turned his head in Oliver's direction and shot him an annoyed glance.

Oliver quelled the fire rising within and forced the muscles in his face to relax, "I apologize sir. I guess I'm still having some trouble getting used to the system, I'll skip lunch today and make the necessary changes."

Fredric stepped back from the keyboard, turned around and bore his beady little eyes into Oliver's. Oliver took in a deep breath and tried not to show his discomfort at being scrutinized. If there was one thing Fredric Willer was an expert at, it was creating awkward moments. After what seemed like an eternity of silence The Gremlin finally spoke up, "No…no you won't." Oliver was confused. "I don't think I can rely on you to get this done on your own Mr. Queen, you'd most likely do more harm than good. Please go retrieve my chair from my office, you may sit and watch while I take care of this. Hopefully, you'll learn something. Fredric turned his attention back to the screen and resumed typing, "…Now Mr. Queen!"

Oliver clenched his fists, he had to stop himself from slamming them down on his armrests. He bit his tongue to stop any expletives from escaping his lips as he rose to his feet and headed for The Gremlin's cave. As he turned the corner he could hear Fredric mumbling to himself.

"I really have absolutely no idea why Father won't let me fire you."

Oliver let a low rumble escape his throat and continued.

After passing a few rows of cubicles Roy rose from his seat and rushed to catch up with Oliver, he clasped his friend's shoulder and matched his stride. "Hey man don't let him get to you, you're doing fine no matter what the combover King says."

The corner of Oliver's mouth twitched, " The combover king," another one of Roy's clever quips. "I just don't understand," Oliver replied. "I try my hardest every single day to wrap my head around this stuff. I listen to what all of you are trying to teach me, I take notes, I practice it over and over in my head. But every time I got to apply it myself it all just comes out wrong."

"Well it's like you told me when you started, you've never had a job like this before. Before this construction was all you ever knew. You're used to getting splinters bruises and burns, not paper cuts and Keyboard rash," they both chuckled. "It's just gonna take you some time to get up to speed, you gotta push through it."

"It's been three months Roy, three months and I'm still making the same mistakes I did during my first day. I feel slow and stupid, I'm a grown man I should be able to handle a damn computer."

Roy remained silent as they entered Fredric's office, Oliver walked around the desk and retrieved the ridiculous looking thing that sat behind it. "He calls this a chair?"

Roy chuckled, "It's orthopedic …or ergonomic or whatever the Hell it's called."

"There's no arms or wheels. How's anyone supposed to sit on it?"

"I have no idea, but we'd better get back before the big bad chihuahua huffs and puffs and blows your cubicle down!" Roy jested, it brought a smile to his friends face. Oliver hoisted the strange chair off the ground and they exited the office. "I know this job hasn't exactly been a smooth ride for you so far but you're gonna be ok bro," Roy encouraged as they walked. "And don't sweat over the computer stuff, lucky for us we don't have to be experts at all that nerdy tech stuff, That's what the IT department is for."

Oliver perked up and his eyebrows rose as he glanced over at Roy.

"Oop, right, I just said the magic word didn't I?" Roy asked returning the glance

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Oliver replied and shied away.

"Yeah…sure you don't," Roy argued but didn't press any further.

 _"Just one more hour,"_ Oliver encouraged himself. _"Just survive until lunch and you'll be ok."_

* * *

 **A\N-There we go, what do you guys think? Yes, no? I hope it was enjoyable! There will be at least a few more chapters to come and because they're going to be shorter I'm hoping ill get them out sooner. Although I've never tried to write two stories at once so we'll see how that goes. Bare with me! Haha! Thanks again to all readers for taking some time to read my work, I really appreciate that!  
**

 **P.S. If you're at all curious as to what Fredric's chair looks like search ergonomic kneeling chair on google. It's an oddity.**


	2. The Twist of Fate

**Chapter two- The Twist of Fate**

* * *

Felicity rubbed her temples as she stared at her computer screen, there was an abundance of requests for help on her roster today and no matter how swiftly she resolved each issue another always seemed to take it's place. Felicity glanced over at her calendar to remind herself what day it was. "Ugh Wednesday?" She groaned. "Two more days of this."

Felicity Smoak had taken a complete left turn in her life when she came to work for Willer Sales inc. Three months after graduating from M.I.T. In June of 2009 with a masters in Cyber Security and Computer Sciences Felicity moved from Las Vegas, where she'd lived with her mother Donna, To Starling City. Felicity came to Starling with high hopes, her dream was To earn a spot on the Holt Innovations Group roster. HIG was one of the largest tech companies on the planet, with some of the world's greatest minds contributing to their work. Their headquarters was in the center of Starling City. There wasn't a magazine or newspaper out there that didn't have the CEO Curtis Holt's face plastered all over its pages. The man was a bonafide super genius, someone Felicity truly admired. Holt was the one person Felicity truly could have seen herself working for, if her life hadn't taken the drastic and unexpected turn that it did.

In December of that same year, just three months after Felicity had taken the leap and ventured out on her own, her mother fell terribly ill. Tuberculosis, a horrible horrible disease that many simply couldn't have survived. The doctors couldn't be sure exactly where Donna had contracted the potentially deadly virus, there were fewer than 200,000 documented cases a year after all, but Felicity suspected that it occurred when Donna had left the country a year prior to go on a vacation with her boyfriend at the time. The incredibly rich, snobby, too good to be true boyfriend who ended up cheating on Dona and leaving her not long after.

When she'd gotten the news Felicity put her life on hold and immediately rushed home. The next several months were spent at her mother's bedside, whether it was in a hospital room or when they'd finally gotten to go home Felicity got most of her rest sleeping in an uncomfortable chair or on a cot. One night in the hospital, stricken with guilt, Donna urged Felicity to go back to Starling.

"Felicity honey," Donna spoke between ragged breaths. "I don't want you to turn your world upside down just for me. Please don't give up on your dreams,"

"Mom?" Felicity questioned suspiciously. "what are you talking about?"

"For Pete's sake baby you're barely old enough to drink. You should be out in the world causing mischief and having fun. Don't sacrifice all the great things you could do in this life just to sit around and take care of a dying old woman."

"Mom," Felicity had replied as tears welled up, "You are not going to die!" Her tears rolled down her cheeks. "You can't, you're all I have left!"

"No sweetheart, I'm not." Donna brought a hand to Felicity's face and wiped a tear away. "You have a future, goals, dreams. I couldn't stand the thought of you giving all of that up on my account. Felicity, my beautiful baby girl, you are a gift not just to me but to the entire world. There are thousands, maybe even millions of people out there just waiting for their lives to be changed forever by you and that big brain of yours. I refuse to steal you away from them."

"We ll I refuse to leave my mother to die!"

"Felicity honey, I need you to do this for me, please." Donna put on a sad smile as tears of her own began to wet her eyes.

Felicity started deep into her mother's eyes and drew in a deep breath, "Ok," she exhaled. "I'll go."

"Thank you sweethea-"

"But only if you come with me."

"What?" Donna was surprised.

Felicity took hold of her mothers hand, "Mom I know you better than anyone. So I know that when you want something it's going to happen one way or another," they both chuckled. "So I'll go back to Starling and pursue a career at HIG, but only if you'll come back with me. Once your well enough to travel I'll pack us up and we'll get a place in the city together. That way I can follow my dreams and still be near you if you need me. I told you, mom, you're all I have left and I'm never walking away from you."

Donna smiled and squeezed her daughter's hand tight. The rest was history, Donna's condition did gradually improve so as soon as they were able the Smoak women packed up their lives and set out to create new ones in Starling City. The very first thing on Felicity's list was to find her mother a reliable doctor when they arrived. Luckily she came across someone in an online chat group who referred her to Dr. Caitlyn Snow, who was renowned for her work in the field of infectious diseases. Felicity and Donna met with Dr. Snow not long after and together they helped Donna make a full recovery. Felicity and Caitlyn were still great friends to this day.

An alarm sounded from Felicity's phone and pulled her from her memories, she looked down at the screen and smiled. "Lunchtime, my favorite time of the day." Felicity glanced at her desk and quickly put a few things in order before slipping her laptop into her messenger bag and throwing it over her shoulder. Felicity let out a satisfied breath as she stood and headed out of her office, she poked her head up over the cubicles and cautiously looked around as she weaved through the maze of workspaces. Felicity breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed when she reached the elevator, she quickly pushed the button and bounced on the balls of her feet as she awaited the ding and sliding of doors. Unfortunately, Felicity's relief was short-lived, as the very figure she had been trying to avoid manifested directly behind her. Felicity turned and jumped when she was greeted with a smiling face that was uncomfortably close to her own. "God Barry!" Felicity tensed up and her bag slipped off of her shoulder, it slumped to the ground.

"Oh crap! Uh hi Felicity," Barry greeted as he scrambled to retrieve the bag. "I-I'm so sorry." Barry handed the bag back to her.

"That's ok," Felicity smiled reluctantly as she looked the man over. Barry scratched the back of his head and cracked a nervous smile of his own.

Barry Allen had been a co-worker of Felicity's for just over a year now, or rather an employee. Felicity was technically his boss. At Willer Sales IT was the smallest department in the entire building, which was ironic for a company that ran almost entirely off of the internet and had ".com" in its name. Rather than worry about doing the hiring themselves, the higher ups opted to just delegate the task to Felicity. Apparently, it had been fairly obvious she would be the smartest one there. Felicity didn't get an official promotion, which frustrated her, but she was proud that she had taken on the responsibility regardless. When she'd hired the bright talented young man Felicity had been excited, up until then all she'd had to work with were a few college dropouts and a teenager who believed that completing an online course meant you were qualified to work for Google. Sadly, her excitement was deflated when Barry openly declared his love for her, in front of the entire floor. Not ten minutes into his second day and the oaf had publicly embarrassed her, in her place of work no less.

Barry had been trying to make up for it ever since, convinced he could still win her over. As Felicity had explained numerous times though she wasn't interested. Barry was a nice enough guy, a hard worker and a perfect gentlemen, but for the most part there wasn't anything about him that stood out to her. Felicity wanted that wow factor when it came to a romantic partner, and Barry just didn't have it. Felicity couldn't count the number of times she had politely declined his invitations if she'd been born with a thousand fingers rather than ten.

"Felicity, would you care to have lunch with me?" His voice brought her back to reality.

"uh…" Felicity racked her brain for the right words but never got a chance to speak them.

"There's this new burger place not too far from here we could check out, we can easily make it there and back in an flash!"

Felicity centered herself and looked Barry in the eye, "I'm sorry Barry I can't today. I've got a working lunch scheduled, you know computers never stop acting up. Be it rain, snow, wind or shine our techys will always be on time!" She exclaimed, Barry smiled but looked confused. "Sorry, I used to work for Tech Village as an onsite tech support, that was our mission statement." They both chuckled nervously. After several moments of awkward silence, felicity stretched her back and played air drums on her bag hoping to draw Barry's attention to it. Thankfully the poor guy took the hint.

"Well, I guess I should let you go then, " Barry replied as he again scratched the back of his head. He looked down at the floor and tried to hide the disappointment on his face.

"I really am sorry Barry," Felicity replied, and she was. Felicity had always thought that despite his awkwardness and clumsiness, Barry Allen was a great person. The fact of the matter was that Barry just wasn't her type, which was strange when looking at how alike they were. "I'll see you in an hour," Felicity chirped as she turned towards the waiting elevator. "Hey, when we get back I need you to get your incident reports finished and on my desk ok?"

"You got it!" Barry called after her, his tone had perked up but Felicity could tell he was let down.

Once safely inside the elevator, Felicity let her entire body relax and her mind began to wander. All of the stressful thoughts that swirled around her head tried to make their way to the surface but Felicity took several deep breaths and tried to calm the storm inside. This wasn't just any working lunch, this was a special occasion. Felicity wanted to be completely decompressed and in a cheerful mood. As she released one more relaxing breath the elevator chimed and began to slow down.

"Now arriving at level two, employee services and Willow Tree Café." The recorded voice announced.

Felicity quickly adjusted her skirt and smoothed her blouse out as the doors opened, once satisfied with her appearance she exited and made her way towards Café. When she arrived Felicity picked out a table and sat down, she wasted no time and unpacked her laptop. Felicity opened the device and typed in her Dr. Who inspired password without even looking, she glanced at her smart watch, _"He's late, bet the gremlin's giving him trouble again."_ Felicity sighed, but her disappointment was soon interrupted when the café door swung open, she looked up and smiled. Felicity happily waved as her friend hurried over.


	3. The Unanswered Question

**A/N- Hello readers, it's time for chapter three! I hope you're all enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Taking a break from my other piece and writing something new really got my mojo going again so if you happen to be reading Smoak Technologies as well then be on the lookout for new chapter coming soon! Thank you to all my readers for your support of my work, you make it all worthwhile!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3-The Unanswered Question**

Oliver sighed nervously as the elevator descended towards level two, he looked down at his watch. "Ten minutes late." There were a few reasons why this upset Oliver, the first of which was the reason he was late. Oliver had know idea how it'd happen but he had somehow managed to get chewed out by Fredric yet again right before lunch started, needles to say that put him in a crappy mood. Secondly, this wasn't just any old lunch break. Oliver had taken it upon himself to seek out help for his lack of technical skill, a friend he'd made at the company had graciously volunteered to sacrifice her lunch breaks a few times a week to teach him what he needed to know. If Oliver was going to take up someone else's free time along with his own for work than every second counted, being late was unfair to himself and to his friend. Lastly, Oliver was frustrated because every second he spent being lectured by The Gremlin was a second he could be spending with his benevolent instructor. Oliver hadn't wanted to admit it to himself at first, but he'd become very fond of her over the past few months. Having lunch with her was always the highlight of his day, even if they were technically working.

Finally, the elevator doors slid open and Oliver rushed out quicker than an expectant father whose wife was about to give birth. He bolted for the café then halted right as he got to the door, he took a moment to calm himself and straighten himself out. After placing the two cups of coffee he'd been holding on the ground he adjusted his tie, he then retrieved the beverages and reached for the door handle with his elbow.

"Here let me help you with that," a fellow employee generously offered.

"Thanks so much," Oliver replied and allowed the woman to get the door for him. Once inside he nervously scanned the room, his lips curved into a smile when he noticed a hand in the air waving him over.

"Hello Oliver!" A cheery voice chirped as he neared the table.

"Hi Felicity!" Oliver greeted, he couldn't help but stop and stare for a moment. No matter how hard Oliver tried to resist them those big blue eyes always seemed to Draw him in, he couldn't help but get lost in them sometimes.

"…So, " Felicity spoke up breaking the silence, "What delicious concoction have you brought for us today?"

Oliver came back to reality and blinked rapidly, _"Crap I was staring again."_ Oliver quickly took his seat, "I think you're really going to like this one. It's my own twist on a Sumatran blend, I've modified the recipe to enhance the rich and sweet flavors. I sent a test batch to my sister in Central city, she loved it."

"Sounds amazing!" Felicity licked her lips and rubbed her hands together in anticipation, "May I?" She gestured towards the cup.

"Of course." Oliver smiled and gently slid the beverage into Felicity's waiting fingers, he watched as she brought the cup up to her mouth. Felicity took a deep breath to inhale the aroma, she closed her eyes and pressed the lid to her lips to take a sip.

Oliver suddenly found himself feeling incredibly nervous. When Felicity first came to him and offered to give him lessons in using computers and Willer Sale's software he had immediately agreed and offered to pay her for her time. Felicity had refused stating that helping a friend was reward enough, however, when Oliver's love of cooking and crafting specialty dishes had come up during casual conversation Felicity's interest had been peaked. The quirky blue-eyed blonde tactfully slipped her love of homemade coffee into their friendly banter and asked Oliver if he'd ever tried making his own. Oliver had not but in that moment he decided he would have to give it a shot.

"Of course I do! In fact I'm trying out a new recipe that you might really enjoy!" Oliver replied without hesitation, he hadn't meant to lie to Felicity but this was an opportunity to pay her back for her help. Oliver took that opportunity and was confident that he was up to the challenge, or at least he would be after calling Thea that night and having her help him research brewing techniques over the internet. Luckily Oliver's inner barista had spread its wings and flown much higher than he'd expected, he caught on quickly and had cranked out a handful of delicious customized brews over the past several weeks. So far Felicity had gulped down every single one with a smile and a satisfied murmur, but Oliver was still anxious every time he placed a new batch in front of her.

Oliver watched as two more gulps passed over Felicity's taste buds, he waited patiently as she paused to savor the flavor, _"She hasn't spit it out yet, guess that's a good sign."_ Another few moments passed before Oliver spoke up, "Well?"

"Huh?" Felicity seemed surprised, as if she'd just been shaken from a dream. "Sorry…mmm so good…just…mmm!" She mumbled as she reached for a napkin and dabbed at her bright red lipstick.

Oliver relaxed and a satisfied grin stretched across his face.

Felicity's eyes widened and she pointed at her cup. "Not Gonna lie Oliver, your coffee, almost better than sex."

Oliver almost spit the sip he'd just taken all over the table in front of him. "Excuse me?" Realizing what she'd just said, Felicity frantically apologized but there was no need. "Relax," Oliver chuckled. "I'm just messing with you."

Over the course of their blossoming friendship, Oliver had learned that Felicity Smoak was adorably and unmistakably unique. The pint-sized powerhouse was full of Quirky comebacks, cringe-worthy bouts of awkwardness and a seemingly limitless supply of unintended sexual innuendos. Felicity's brain was vast and powerful enough to contain every piece of knowledge it had ever come by, yet her mental filter always seemed to be on the fritz. Oliver didn't care, he loved every second of it. All of those things made him want to get to know Felicity even more, there was never a dull moment when she was around.

Oliver's smile seemed to put his companion at ease, she relaxed her body and smiled back. Their eyes unexpectedly darted up at the same time and locked for a few fleeting moments, but both soon realized they'd held each other's gaze just a little too long and turned away shyly. Oliver was the first to reignite the conversation. "So, are you buying today or did you bring something from home?"

Felicity chuckled, "I packed my own lunch thank you very much," she smiled proudly. Felicity produced a hot pink lunch box from under the table and extracted a large foil wrapped object, she placed it on the table and smirked mischievously. "You may hold the title of master chef in this friendship, but if there's one thing I do know how to make it's an Italian sub." Felicity unwrapped the foil to show off her creation.

Oliver quirked and eyebrow and eyed the sandwich, he pinched the foil and carefully rotated it to inspect Felicity's work from every angle. Oliver was impressed but he was careful not to show it, he wanted to have a bit of fun with his friend. "Felicity Smoak," he remarked after a few more moments of observation.

"Uh-hu?" Felicity replied hopefully.

"You have failed this sandwich!"

"…Really?" Felicity looked heartbroken.

Oliver couldn't stand to see her frown. "No, " the serious face he'd put on crumbled into an apologetic smile. "It looks and smells delicious."

Felicity perked up at that,"What are you having?"

"Oh I couldn't drag myself out of bed early enough to make anything this morning, just the coffee for me."

"Unacceptable! There's more than enough for two here. I'll cut it in half and we can share."

"Felicity I can't take half of your lunch."

Oliver's protest went unacknowledged, Felicity proceeded to take out a knife and split the sandwich in two. Oliver hesitantly but gratefully took the half he was offered, he could feel Felicity's eyes upon him as he brought the sandwich up to his mouth and took his first bite. Now it was her turn to ask.

"Well?"

Oliver took a moment to finish chewing and swallowed, "It's Great!"

"Really, you promise you aren't just saying that?"

"Absolutely!" Oliver replied as he took another bite. "You were definitely not kidding when you said you know how to make these."

Felicity perked up and grinned, "Well maybe I'll show you how it's done some time."

"Please do!" Oliver mumbled through a mouth full of food. "I'll love you forever." It wasn't until Oliver finished chewing and swallowed that bite that his statement hit home, he gulped and froze. Oliver's eyes scanned Felicity's, they had widened ever so slightly, she hadn't expected that. _"Maybe if I don't move or speak, the world will throw me a freebie and alter time so that I didn't just say that. Yeah that'll work."_ Oliver remained silent, finally, after yet another awkward silence Felicity gave him a small smile and relaxed. Oliver did the same, he looked down in embarrassment but his eyes turned back just in time to see a light blush redden Felicity's cheeks.

"Well, now that we've both thoroughly humiliated ourselves maybe we outa get down to businesses, don't you think?" Felicity chuckled.

"Couldn't agree more." Oliver looked away and scratched the back of his head.

Felicity's eyes shot up, she took the opportunity to quickly examine Oliver while his head was turned. Little did he know that she had done this many times before, every chance she got actually. Felicity's mind wandered back to the day they'd met in one of the conference rooms after a mandatory company-wide meeting. On that day a few short months ago Oliver had casually walked up and introduced himself which had immediately blown Felicity away. How an incredibly handsome man like that had even noticed her at all was beyond Felicity's comprehension but she wasn't about to complain. Once pleasantries we're out of the way the two proceeded to engage in the usual small talk, the weather, how they liked their jobs and so on. As the room emptied out and the conversation wound down Oliver again caught Felicity completely off guard by asking if she'd like to join him for lunch one day.

"I'm new here, I could use a friendly face," he'd explained and flashed her a captivating smile.

"I'd uh-I'd like that." Felicity answered without a second thought. _"What are you doing?"_ The voice in Felicity's head violently pounded against her skull. _"How many times has Barry asked you out and you turned him down? Now, this guy shows up and you're instantly ready to jump into bed with him? That's insane!"_ Felicity groaned under her breath, _"Quiet!"_ She ordered herself. _"That is highly inappropriate and not at all accurate! I don't know there's just something about him, something different."_

"Something different about what?" Oliver's voice rang out.

Felicity cursed under her breath at the realization that not all of her thoughts had remained in her head, "Uh nothing, nothing at all. Sorry." Felicity bit her bottom lip and eyed Oliver nervously. The silence and self-humiliation had become too much, she had to escape. Felicity turned and headed for the door but Oliver called to her before she could flee.

"Wait how do I get in touch with you, for lunch?"

Felicity turned back and tried to keep her composure, "You know all those posters around the office that have that computer with the sad face printed on them? That's my email at the bottom." Felicity'd wanted to say more but decided that it was best she quit while she was ahead, she quickly slipped through the door and let it shut behind her.

Now as the memory faded and her mind returned to the present Felicity found herself staring at Oliver's shirt, presumably trying to picture the layers upon layers of firm, rippling muscle that had to be hiding underneath.

"Be careful," a muffled voice caressed her ears.

"Wha?" Felicity replied obliviously without diverting her gaze.

"Felicity, if you're not careful you're going to be tasting ink in a second."

Felicity heard that clearly, her eyes shot up and connected with Oliver's instantly. Felicity tried to regain her senses and quickly determined that she was holding one end of her favorite red pen between her fingers, the other end was in her mouth. "Oh frak!" Felicity exclaimed and let the pen drop to the table below. "I was staring at your chest, and chewing on a pen."

Oliver chuckled, "You were also doing that thing where you chew on your bottom lip."

"Oh God I'm so sorry!" Felicity buried her face in her hands. "You must think I'm in an eleven on the weirdometer."

"It's ok, really." Oliver carefully took Felicity's wrists and ushered them away from her face. "You know I've never told anyone this before, but I get turned on by the thought of spreadsheets and mathematics too. Your secret is safe with me." Oliver winked playfully.

It took Felicity a moment to realize what Oliver was doing but once she did she smiled and laughed along, she was in awe of him. Oliver was handsome, funny, polite and to top it all off he was kind enough to save Felicity from her own crippling embarrassment. What more could she ask for? Felicity felt lucky to have Oliver as a friend.

"So, should we start the day's lesson?" Oliver spoke up.

"Absolutely!" Felicity replied and began typing, she pulled up Oliver's latest reports and they looked at the screen together. "Ah, I see what happened here." Felicity began to ramble off instructions and guide Oliver in correcting his mistakes. They both pretended not to notice the tiny glances they shot each other every chance they got.

* * *

"Ok now hit F6, next scroll over here and click there for the drop-down menu." Lunch was almost over, Oliver and Felicity now sat side by side as Oliver went through a practice report on the computer. Felicity calmly gave out instructions and encouraged Oliver when it seemed he was getting the hang of it. "Great! Ok the second to last option is finalize, that's what you want."

"Next is file save right?" Oliver asked hesitantly.

"File save as," Felicity corrected. "You need to use the save as function so that you'll get the chance to name the document. That way you'll be able to find it when you go to upload it to the companies server."

"Right, you've told me that before. I'm sorry."

Felicity could see the disappointment on Olivers face, "Oliver its fine, really. Learning any new skill takes time and patience, especially something as complicated as computers. Old Freddy boy may not understand that but I do. You'll get there I know it."

Oliver smiled and turned to face Felicity, "You know when you say it I actually believe it."

"You should," Felicity replied as their eyes connected. "I seem to know you better than you know yourself."

"That's probably true," Oliver chuckled before turning back to the screen. "Ok got it saved and named, now I log into the website employee section and find the submissions tab right?"

"Mhm" Felicity answered without diverting her gaze. Oliver continued to talk himself through the process but his words fell on deaf ears. Felicity was preoccupied with the inescapable thoughts that grasped her mind. Thoughts of wrapping her arms around one of Oliver's predominant biceps or the way her fingertips would tingle as they caressed the stubble that covered his jawline. There had been so many times that Felicity had dreamed of their working lunches being actual lunch dates, dinner dates, movie dates, real date dates. It had been apparent to Felicity back when this friendship began that if she chose to embrace it, staying mere friends would not last long, at least not on her part. As much as she tried to keep her desires in check and appreciate what she'd been given, whenever they were together Felicity found herself longing to know if Oliver might feel the same. She needed to Know if there was anything to this dance they'd been doing around each-other.


	4. The Emergency

Chapter 4 the Emergency

* * *

It had been a horrible day at work for Oliver. Despite giving it his best effort and trying to apply what Felicity had taught him at lunch that day, Oliver had still managed to fail at every task laid before him. The only positive things about the work day had been his lunch with Felicity and that The Gremlin hadn't been there to torture Oliver over it. By what could only be described as divine intervention Fredric had taken a personal day, that hadn't done much in terms of lifting Oliver's mood though. The icing on the crapcake that was Oliver's day had been an incident involving a defective product and a particularly rude customer with a bad phone connection. "It's not my fault the leg broke after only using it twice, "Oliver mumbled to himself as he lifted his foot. Because of his irritable mood, Oliver had taken the stairs to reach his eighth-floor apartment in hopes of avoiding any and all human contact. "That's what you get for buying a cheap table made out of fake wood over the internet." Oliver sighed as his words fell on deaf ears, lucky for him Felicity had come to his rescue once again. Despite Oliver's numerous protests Felicity hacked into the company's phone system and erased the call from the records.

"Felicity you could get fired for this, don't loose your job just to help me out!"

"Oh please, don't insult me." Felicity had waved Oliver off and ignored his concern. "You should know by now that I am _way_ too smart to let myself get caught. They'll never even know I was there."

Oliver smiled at the memory but that smile quickly faded. It was nearing the end of his forth month at Willer Sales inc. and although he'd improved in some areas, for the most part Oliver was still making the same mistakes. Oliver was grateful that Mason Willer, Fredric's father and CEO of Willer Sales, had promised him a permanent place in his company but lately, Oliver was beginning to feel that he didn't deserve it.

 _"Oliver I knew your mother for a long time before her condition deteriorated. Moira was-is an amazing woman and an even greater friend. I take care of my own son and as far as I'm concerned the three of you are just that. If there's anything at all that I can do to help with your mother's care you just name it, and if you or your sister ever need a shoulder to lean on come knock on my door. It's always open to you."_

Mason's words echoed in Olivers mind as he reached the seventh floor, the appreciation and security they had made him feel in the past were now clouded by guilt and frustration. Although there had been no indication of it Oliver knew in his gut that he was letting Mason down, he was also letting himself down along with everyone who'd sacrificed their time and energy to help him. Oliver hated letting people down, it made him feel like he was drowning.

Oliver let out a sigh of relief as his feet hit the eighth-floor landing, he bent over slightly and brought his hands to his knees to brace himself. "You should know better," Oliver scolded himself between labored breaths. "The doctor told you not to take the stairs anymore." Oliver's left hand moved from his knee to his hip and applied pressure in an attempt to soothe the aching muscles underneath, he had no luck. Oliver gave up and forced himself to straighten up, he retrieved his brief case from where he'd placed it moments ago and swung open the stairwell door. Oliver again let out a sigh of relief as he entered a hallway and a wave of cool air washed over him. All that was left now was to put his key in the lock, turn it and he could spend the rest of the night alone in front of the TV catching up on his favorite shows and eating leftover takeout. _"That'll distract me, at least for a little while."_

* * *

The walk from the stairwell to his door had been a tiring one but finally Oliver turned his key in the lock and swung it open. Once Keys had been tossed onto the small table to his left and his brief case placed next to the door on his right, Oliver kicked the door shut and let out a sigh of relief. Another difficult day was done and all he wanted to do was be alone. With this in mind, Oliver loosened his tie and immediately darted towards his bedroom. His favorite pair of jogging pants and the left-over Chinese food in the fridge were the sole occupants of his mind until a faint sound stopped him in his tracks. Oliver could here music, but where was it coming from? Oliver's head turned to scan the room and he immediately discovered the source. His eyes were greeted by the sight of a familiar leather jacket and long flowy brown hair wafting in the breeze, Oliver's sister Thea sat in a lounge chair out on his balcony. Oliver scrubbed a hand over his face, he'd forgotten that Thea was coming into town today to visit with their mother. Thea always invited herself over to spend some time with Oliver afterwards and he usually didn't mind at all. The Queen siblings had always had an incredibly close relationship, nothing in the world meant more to them than each-other, with a few obvious exceptions. Oliver loved that his sister never failed to come spend a day with him, today just wasn't the best to do so.

Oliver was in absolutely no mood to entertain and he knew that if he showed even the slightest hint of melancholy around his sister she'd pounce. Thea was a deeply caring and intuitive person, she never failed to tune in on exactly what was bothering someone and once she had she wouldn't let up until the issue was discussed and resolved. Thea always had good intentions, anyone who knew her knew that, but at times she could be a little overbearing. Oliver didn't know if he could handle that after the day he'd had, a sigh escaped his lips and he walked towards the sliding glass door.

"Thea,"Oliver called out but got no answer. "Speedy!"Oliver tried again, Thea had left the door open to let the breeze in but she was using headphones and her face was buried in her phone. Oliver stepped outside and stared his sister down. "Thea Queen!"

Thea's face shot up and her lips curved into a wide smile, "Ollie!"

Oliver let out a delighted grunt as Thea flung herself at him, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tight. Oliver returned the hug and tried to speak to his sister but Thea hadn't removed her headphones, he carefully pulled one off of her ear and chuckled. "Either those are lousy headphones, or your music is really loud. I could hear it all the way inside.

"Sorry," Thea replied. "I'm editing Iris's new article on S.T.A.R labs for her, you know I've gotta drown everything else out when I'm working."

"I know," Oliver replied with a chuckle.

Thea had always been the more adventurous of the Queen siblings. Oliver could recall countless memories of chasing his sister around trying to stop her from getting into trouble when they were young. It hadn't surprised him in the slightest that when one of her closest friends, Iris West, had begged Thea to move to Central City with her so they could join the newspaper and become reporters, his sister jumped at the opportunity. Despite the move, nothing about Oliver and Thea's relationship had changed in the slightest. Brother and sister were as close as ever and they grew even closer as Moira's condition worsened. Thea never missed a beat with weekly visits and contributing financially, even though she lived a few hours away she never failed to be just as much a part of Moira's care as Oliver was. Thea was the perfect sister.

Thea pulled away and smiled at her brother, "You need to shave big brother," she remarked and patted his cheek. Oliver let out a reluctant grunt in response. "You used to be so particular about your look, you always had to be perfectly groomed. That's changed recently, what's bothering you? Why are you slacking Ollie?"

 _"Here we go,"_ Oliver thought to himself. "Nothing Speedy, I'm fine."

Thea rose an eyebrow, "Hmm…nope I don't believe you. You know me, Ollie, you know I won't give up until you spill so why fight it." Thea retrieved her phone from her chair where she'd left it and took a seat, she gestured to Oliver to do the same and he reluctantly complied.

"I told you I'm fine, how's mom doing?" Oliver asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject. Thea wasn't having it.

"You know how she is Ollie, she's not getting any better. Don't try to change the subject, were talking about you."

"I'd really rather not."

"I really don't care," Thea pressed and folded her arms. "I'm your sister Ollie, I know when something's not right with you."

Oliver rose from his seat in frustration and walked back inside, Thea followed. Oliver went to the fridge and took out two sodas. "Here," he tossed one to Thea who caught it and retrieved the bottle opener from a nearby drawer.

"Your boss still giving you a hard time at work?"

"God, you really don't give up do you?" Oliver asked with growing frustration in his voice. Thea leaned against the counter and responded with an expectant look. "No, work is fine."

"Liar, but fine I'll play along." Thea could always see right through her brother's façade. "If it's not The Golem-"

"The Gremlin."

"What?"

"We call him The Gremlin," Oliver corrected and chuckled.

"Whatever," Thea waved dismissively. "If it's not him giving you trouble then…ah I know. That girl from IT, the one schooling you on tech, the one you're not so mutually keeping a strictly platonic relationship with. You gathered up the stones to ask her out yet?"

Oliver's eyes widened, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh come on Ollie don't give me that crap its blatantly obvious that you're into her, what's the harm in seeing if she feels the same?"

Oliver sighed, "She doesn't."

"And how exactly do you know that? You two have never even been on a date before, how can you know that she doesn't like you if you've never even given it a chance?"

"Can we stop talking about this?" Oliver's patience was wearing thin.

"You know what? No, ever since you took that job Ollie you've been getting more and more mopy. You're always talking bout your problems and your failures and how you think you're not good enough, frankly I'm getting pretty tired of it. The only thing that has seemed to make you happy lately is that girl so I wanna know why you won't man up and ask her-"

Oliver slammed his hands against the counter and cut her off, "Because I'm half the man I used to be Thea!" Thea's eyes widened, she was taken aback, her brother hardly ever snapped at her. Oliver let out a deep breath and tried to calm himself as he continued, "I used to be strong, I loved what I did and I was good at it. Now look at me, I'm nearly in my forties and the mere sight of a computer makes me nervous. I can't even send an e-mail on my own. How am I supposed to build a future for myself, much less anyone else, if I'm a caveman stuck in a world that runs on technology?" Oliver looked down at the ground and a somber look washed over him. Oliver's hand subconsciously dropped to his left thigh and began working the muscles. "I'm not the man I used to be Thea, she's probably better off if we just stay friends."

Thea pushed herself off of the counter and closed the distance between them, she put a finger under Oliver's chin and urged it up so he was looking her in the eye. "Oliver Jonas Queen you listen to me right now, you are one hundred percent the man you were before maybe even more. Look at everything you've done for our family, the sacrifices you've made for Mom and me. Look at everything you've been through. You've been dealt some pretty rough cards over the past few years but I have never heard you complain, not even once." Thea's hands moved up to cup her brother's face. " You can not even imagine how rare that is, to find a person with that kind of strength and humility. You are the strongest man I know Ollie and if you think that, " Thea nodded down at Oliver's left leg, "Makes you any less of a man you are absolutely wrong."

Oliver smiled, "You're the best Speedy."

"I know!" Thea grinned and threw her arms around her brother, they embraced tightly and rocked back and forth. After several moments Thea broke the hug, "Ok so now that you're done being gloomy doomy Ollie, we're going to sit down and you're gonna tell me more about this girl you like!" Oliver rolled his eyes and chuckled. "But First, I have to pee." Thea's phone suddenly chimed, she pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen before placing on the counter and hurrying off to the restroom.

Oliver laughed and turned to place their half empty sodas back in the fridge, he shut the fridge door and started back towards his bedroom but he was again stopped by a noise. Thea's phone was ringing, Oliver looked over his shoulder but elected not to get it.

"Hey, can you get that?" Thea called from the bathroom. "I'm expecting an important call from work, tell them I'll just be a minute."

Oliver sighed, he'd been crammed into his monkey suit and tie all day, he was ready to put on his sweats. Oliver reluctantly turned and walked back to the counter, he picked up the phone and swiped right to answer. "Thea Queen's phone, how can I help you?"

"Oh…uh hello, Oliver?" A familiar voice responded.

"…Felicity?"

"Yeah, uh…hi."

"Hi," Oliver answered with equal parts cheerfulness and confusion in his voice.

"Sorry I wasn't expecting you to answer, uh how are you?"

Oliver chuckled and leaned back against the counter, "I'm good and you?"

"Eh, can't complain. Busy busy day but that's nothing new." Felicity yawned into the phone, "Oh sorry."

"That's ok, I know exactly what you mean." Oliver smiled to himself, he was so happy and pleasantly surprised to be speaking with Felicity again that it took him several moments to remember that the phone she'd called him on was not his own. "Felicity while I'm very happy you called I do have to ask, how did you get this number?"

"Oh right sorry! I looked at your file, it was easy."

"hmm…ok,"

"Not that I usually go looking through your file or anything!" Felicity desperately tried to explain. "It's not like I sit at my desk all day just going through employee information files, I wouldn't normally look at anyone's, especially not yours. I mean I'm not saying it's a bad file or anything It's just that going through personal information like that isn't appropriate and I would never do that to you because you're my friend and-"

"Felicity, calm down I'm not upset. I was just curious," Oliver chuckled

"Oh ok, well the reason I called this number is because you have it listed as your emergency contact in your file. It's your sister's number?"

"That's right. So…what's the emergency?" Oliver quirked an eyebrow.

"Right, sorry wow this entire thing must seem pretty strange to you huh? Ok so you remember we had lunch together today right?"

Oliver smiled " Of course how could I forget."

"Well I sort of found your phone under the table as I was getting up to leave, it must have fallen out of your pocket at some point."

Oliver palmed his forehead, "I knew I was missing something when I left work today."

"Yeah, I would have brought it up to you but I got called to a computer emergency. It was bad trust me, somehow someone managed to get a piece of lunch meat stuck in their disk drive. It jammed the thing up and then the juices caused sparks, oh you should have seen it it was so gross…but that's beside the point. I got swamped after that, I'm really sorry."

"It's not a problem, it sounds like you had your hands full." Oliver chuckled picturing the scene.

"Well see here's the thing, it might actually be a little bit of a problem. I didn't notice until just a little while ago but someone has been blowing your phone up _big time."_

"Oh?" Oliver responded curiously.

"Yeah I didn't open the phone up, again I'm not gonna snoop on your private business, but I did glance at the lock screen. You've got a bunch of missed calls from someone named Raisa, they also sent you a few 911 texts."

Oliver lost his breath a moment, "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh? That doesn't sound good," Felicity responded concerned.

"It's not, uh…crap." Oliver had to think fast.

"Oliver, you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry had to think. Listen, Felicity, is there any way you could do me a monumental favor?"

"Of course,"Felicity responded without hesitation. "You name it."

"I'm gonna text you an address and if it's not too far out of your way could you meet me there with my phone? I wouldn't normally ask but it's got some information in it that I might really need."

"Absolutely, I was just about to hop in the car anyway. Once I get the address I'll type it in the GPS and be there ASAP."

Oliver let out a huge sigh of relief. "Felicity thank you so much, you're a lifesaver and an amazing friend."

"For you, anything," Felicity responded.

Oliver smiled, "Ok see you soon." Felicity echoed the statement and the two hung up.

Thea walked into the room moments later, she immediately noticed the concerned look on her brother's face. "Everything ok Ollie?"

Oliver looked over at her and shook his head, "We gotta go speedy, mom's having a bad day." Without another word, they both quickly gathered their things and headed for the door.


	5. The House

Chapter 5-The House

* * *

Felicity took several deep breaths as she drove along the route her GPS laid out for her. Why was she so nervous, she and Oliver were friends there wasn't any reason to be. Felicity thought for a moment and supposed she was concerned about this mystery emergency Oliver was facing, what could have happened that would get him so scared so quickly? "I suppose I'm about to find out." Felicity reached for the dial on her radio and turned it down to hear her GPS more clearly.

"In five hundred feet turn right, then your destination is on your left. Good luck on your adventure Doctor."

"Thank you Doctor." Felicity chuckled, she'd used her tech wizardry to download a different voice for her GPS, David Tenant acting as the doctor from her favorite show Dr. Who, she loved it. Felicity's face changed immediately as she pulled up to the gate at the end of her route.

"You have reached your destination," David spoke once more.

Felicity's jaw dropped, she couldn't believe her eyes. On the other side of the gate was the longest driveway she'd ever seen and at the end, a huge mansion. Felicity pulled out her phone and compared the address Oliver had given her to the one listed on a plate mounted to the gate, they matched. _"Oliver queen what have you been hiding from me?"_ Felicity looked around for a buzzer or intercom, she found it and inched her car forward a bit. "Um, he-hello?" Felicity called as she pressed the button, she got no reply. Felicity tried again with no luck, she huffed and folded her arms. "How does he expect me to ge-"

"Felicity? Hi sorry it took me a second to make it to the intercom. I'll open the gate for you, follow the driveway around back to the guest house and I'll meet you at the door."

"There are two houses?" Felicity was shocked.

"Yeah," Oliver replied with a chuckle. I guess I've got some explaining to do huh?"

"Uh yeah, ya think?"

Oliver couldn't stop laughing, "I'll see you in a minute."

Felicity jumped in her seat when the gate creaked to life and slowly swung itself open. How had she known Oliver this long and not discovered that he was, apparently, crazy rich? Felicity cautiously tapped the gas pedal and inched her car forward as the gate concluded its cycle, _"This drive way must be five miles long,"_ she thought to herself. The closer Felicity got to the house the bigger it looked, it had been beautifully crafted in stone brick with rich wooden accents. The house seemed to have been styled similar to a medieval castle complete with a parapet walk at the top. Felicity had to dip her neck down and tip her head back to get the full view. "This is incredible." As she pulled up to the circle at the end of the drive Felicity stopped her car and took in her surroundings, it was a beautiful estate. The immaculate, imposing mansion was contrasted by a huge perfectly cut lawn that was filled to the brim with what appeared to be every species of plant life known to man. The grass was such a beautiful shade of green, it looked so soft and soothing. Felicity fought back the urge to spring from her seat and go roll around in it, she looked around one more time before giving her car some gas and turning her wheel to the left to go around the back as Oliver had instructed.

After passing a line of trees used to create a sort of privacy fence, Felicity turned into the much smaller drive way of the guest house. Oliver was waiting outside just as he said he'd be, he smiled and waved when they made eye contact.

"Thank you so much!" Oliver expressed his gratitude as he opened Felicity's door for her. "You have no idea how much you've helped me out today."

Felicity rose to her feet and the two stood face to face, "Like I said, for you, anything." They spent a few moments in silence, smiling and gazing into each other's eyes. Oliver was the first to break the moment, he chuckled and looked away.

"May I see my phone? I need to make a quick call."

"Oh yeah, of course!" Felicity turned around and leaned over into her car. Oliver had just enough time to shoot a quick glance down at her shapely rear end before she finished fumbling around and produced the phone from the center console. "Here ya go!"

"Thanks." Oliver smiled and took the phone, he quickly opened it up, dialed a number and put it up to his ear. Oliver gestured to Felicity to follow him and the two walked up to the front door together. Oliver's call connected and he began speaking to a pharmacist about getting some kind of medication. They climbed the front steps and Oliver opened the front door ushering Felicity inside but she shook her head and politely declined.

"Oh no, I shouldn't."

Oliver asked the person on the other end to hold on a moment and tilted the phone away from his face, "What's wrong?" He looked confused.

"Nothing it's just, this is a family matter. Your mom seems pretty sick, I'm sure she doesn't want a stranger poking around in her house when she's not feeling well."

Oliver's lips curved into a warm smile, "Mom's asleep in her room, we managed to calm her down. She was so exhausted after that episode I'm sure she'll be out for a while. Besides you're not a stranger, you're my friend." Felicity smiled and a light blush adorned her cheeks. "Plus if you stick around I'll take you out for some Big Belly Burger when we're done here. It's the least I can do to thank you."

Felicity perked up at that, Big Belly Burger was her guilty pleasure and apparently Oliver knew it. "…Oh, ok you win."

Oliver's satisfaction at winning her over was apparent, he ushered Felicity inside once more and resumed his call. Felicity couldn't help but marvel at the space as Oliver lead her through the foyer and into the living room. While the outside of the house had been modeled in a some what medieval style similar to the main house, the interior was lavish and took advantage of many modern day conveniences. Everything in the room from the elaborate molding on the walls to the Victorian era styled furniture screamed big money. As they entered the living room Oliver gestured to the couch and Felicity carefully took a seat. Oliver spent a few more minutes on the phone pacing back and forth before thanking the pharmacist and hanging up the phone, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about that," Oliver took a seat at the other end of the couch and threw his arm over the back. "Mom's medication is supposed to be on auto-refill and delivered to the door. The pharmacist said that their system has been having problems for a few days but they're making it up right now, it'll be here soon."

"Well that's good news," Felicity smiled nervously.

"Would you like something to drink? I think there's some coffee in the kitchen, or maybe some tea or juice?"

"Is that you're homemade coffee by chance?" Felicity's taste buds tingled with excitement.

"No, sorry." Oliver chuckled, "all we have here is the regular stuff. Raisa's the only one that drinks it and she doesn't really care for fancy coffee."

"Raisa, she's the one that left all those calls and texts on your phone."

Oliver nodded, "My mother's live in caregiver. When Thea and I were little she was actually our nanny, when we told her about Mom's condition she insisted on coming back to help take care of her. Raisa gave up a lot so that Thea and I could keep living our lives and know that Mom was being well taken care of, she's family."

Felicity nodded in understanding, loyalty and dedication were qualities that she greatly admired and it pleased her to see that they were both a part of who Oliver was as a person. Although she hadn't know him terribly long, Felicity had always been able to tell that at his core Oliver was a very private person. Felicity felt lucky that he'd shared such an important part of his life with her, even if it had been under stressful circumstances. "Well seeing as how you've spoiled me with your delicious creations and I now refuse to drink anything else, I suppose I'll have some tea, sweet if you have it."

Oliver smiled and rose to his feet, "Coming right up!" Oliver stepped around the couch and headed for the kitchen which in the open floor plan that the house utilized, wasn't far at all. Oliver quickly retrieved two glasses and the desired pitcher from the fridge, he poured the glasses and added ice before returning the pitcher to the fridge and hurrying back to the couch. "Here we are, " Oliver smiled and handed Felicity her glass. "Raisa may have originally come over from Russia, but she makes a sweet tea that rivals any southern mother's recipe."

Felicity took a sip, "…Yeah…this is pretty good, but you haven't tried mine yet." Felicity shot Oliver a mischievous smile which he returned.

"Well I hope I get the chance someday." Another silent staring match ensued, this time Felicity decided to let Oliver win. "So, how long will it take your mother's medication to get here?"

"The Pharmacist said about half an hour, hope that's ok. I know you've had a long day at work, you're probably starving. If you need to go on home and eat I'll underst-"

"I can wait," Felicity interrupted.

The slight twinge of disappointment in Olivers eyes lifted, he tried not to make his excitement at her words too obvious. "Well then perhaps I can interest you in a tour of the estate, Thea's sitting with mom and Raisa and I'm sure the meds will be here by the time we're done."

"That sounds really nice," Felicity replied shyly. "To be honest with you I've been itching to know what the inside of that house looks like from the second I drove up."

Oliver smiled, "Great!"

Felicity took one last sip to finish off her tea and handed the glass to Oliver, who had stood to return the glasses to the kitchen. As she released the glass into Oliver's hand Felicity suddenly felt a powerful sneeze coming on, desperate to defuse the situation she reached to take the glass back but it was too late. With a loud and forceful "Achoo!" Felicity released the sneeze and immediately covered her face in embarrassment. "Ugh, great!" In one fowl swoop, Felicity had managed spray germs all over Oliver and given him a full view of her extremely unattractive sneeze face. Worst of all was that Felicity hadn't even gotten a chance to swallow her tea.

"Ooo that's cold," Oliver exclaimed and chuckled.

"Huh?" Felicity looked up and when she realized what had happened she wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Because Felicity had been sitting while Oliver stood in front of her, the contents she'd just ejected from her nose and mouth had gotten all over his pants. "Oh my God, it's every where! I'm so so sorry! Crap it's all over your cro-I mean your nether regio-I mean your…" Felicity returned her face to her hands and shook her head back and forth, "Can I just disappear now please?"

"Don't do that," Oliver replied and handed her a tissue. "It's ok, really. I'm dying to get out of these pants anyway." Felicity's eyes shot up and grew wider. "No no, not like that!" Oliver desperately tried to explain. "I just mean I get tired of wearing work pants all day long ya know? I'm ready to change into comfy clothes and this is a perfect excuse to do so. Sorry that probably sounded pretty bad."

Felicity looked up at him and a small smile appeared on her lips, she chuckled and Oliver did the same. Soon they were both laughing at their unbearable awkwardness.

"I propose, we go over to the main house so I can run up to my room and change. I'll get all cleaned up, I 'll show you around and we can pretend this never happened."

"Agreed, wait…your room…you live here?" Felicity quirked an eyebrow.

"No no," Oliver quickly corrected. "I meant my old room. Not much has changed around here since Thea and I flew the coop, Our bedrooms are just as we left them. I should be able to find something in my old closet that still fits." Felicity rose to her feet and followed Oliver back to the front door. "You should already know that I don't live here, it's not the address listed in my file is it?" Oliver winked at Felicity and gave her a playful nudge to the shoulder.

"Hey now!" Felicity exclaimed and returned the gesture. "I told you I don't normally go reading into peoples files. I'm no 007 or anything, though if I were I'd be really _really_ good at it."

"I don't doubt that at all." Oliver chuckled and offered Felicity his arm as they exited the guest house, she took it and together they walked over to the main house.

* * *

Felicity yawned and stretched as she waited for Oliver in the living room of the main house, she was surprised at how quickly she'd relaxed now that the crisis had been handled and she and Oliver were alone, sort of. Upon arriving at the much larger mansion that Oliver so casually referred to as "the house," he'd lead Felicity into the living room and told her to make herself at home. Oliver had quickly looked around and found the TV remote for Felicity before heading upstairs. Felicity had taken Oliver's advice and made herself right at home, upon discovering that his family used the same cable service she did Felicity flipped to her favorite channel to catch some of the Doctor who marathon that was running that day. After a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, Felicity slipped her heels off and propped her feet up on the coffee table not thinking about how it was probably more expensive than her car. Felicity reached for one of the many dainty pillows that rested on every piece of furniture and placed it behind her back to make herself more comfortable, she leaned back and let the sounds of aliens and laser guns lull her heavy eyelids to sleep.

"Well isn't that a perfect picture," Oliver chuckled as he entered the living room.

"Oh Frak!" Felicity almost jumped out of her skin, she frantically removed her feet from the coffee table. "I'm sorry Oliver I may have made myself a little _too_ at home!" Felicity tried to explain as she turned to face him. The two instantly locked eyes, as they often did, but afterward Felicity's naturally scanned the rest of his body. Oliver was in a plain white T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts, _"It really is unfair how attractive you are._ " Felicity had know that Oliver would look good in whatever he wore, there had been many times breath had escaped her at the sight of his perfectly fit suit or his piercing blue eyes. But if Felicity's heart skipped a beat just from looking Oliver in the eyes, when her gaze fell to his lower body, it must've completely stopped. Where there should have been skin wrapped around muscle, flesh, and bone there was metal, plastic, and rubber instead. _"Oh my God_ ," Felicity gasped internally. _"He's missing a leg_!"

Felicity had to fight to stop another _"Holy Frak_!" from escaping her lips. She spent several moments raking her brain trying to discern how she and Oliver had known each other for four whole months and she'd had absolutely no idea that he was an amputee. _"Ok up until now I've only ever seen him in slacks but still, how did I not know this?_ "

"It's ok Felicity, this place was always too fancy and uptight for me anyway." Oliver continued speaking as if nothing had happened, he pushed himself off of the wall he'd been leaning against and walked toward the couch. "Mom and dad always had to keep everything perfect and spotless, this house never really felt like a home to me. It's nice to see somebody treating it like one." Oliver smiled and plopped himself down beside Felicity.

 _"Don't stare don't stare don't stare. Am I staring? Oh god please tell me I'm not staring!_ " Felicity pleaded with herself.

"So are you ready to go?" Oliver asked.

Felicity's eyes shot up to meet his gaze, "Absolutely," she replied as calmly as she could. Felicity didn't want to be rude and pry into matters that were none of her business, so if Oliver was choosing to ignore the elephant in the room then so would she, for now. _"He'll tell me when he's ready_." The two rose to their feet and Oliver again offered Felicity his arm, "Such a gentleman." Felicity couldn't help but blush, she just prayed that it wasn't too obvious.

* * *

Felicity yawned as she and Oliver finished their walk through his family home. It had been a lovely time and Felicity had enjoyed every second of it but by the end, she felt like she'd run a marathon. Felicity's feet had started aching halfway through, luckily Oliver had noticed this and told her she was more than welcome to take her heels of if it made her more comfortable. Felicity hadn't been able to get them off fast enough, she'd looked up and smiled at Oliver once they'd resumed their walk. Oliver was always so quick to accommodate her, no words were needed. Felicity could swear that he was somehow reading her mind, and she loved it.

Now as they sat outside in the garden, felicity dipped her toes into the cool water of the large fountain that served as the centerpiece of the space. Oliver sat beside her on the edge facing the opposite direction, they both looked off into the distance and sat in silence for several moments.

"Oliver," Felicity finally spoke up. "Can I ask you a…personal question?"

"You want to know about my leg."

"Yeah…I'm sorry. I know it's probably not ok for me to ask, I hope I haven't upset you it's just…"

Oliver turned to meet Felicity's gaze and smiled, "I was wondering how long it was gonna take you."

"Well I didn't want to be rude and just blurt it out. I was going to keep my mouth shut and let you tell me when you were ready but as I'm sure you know by now I'm terrible at keeping my mouth shut. I tried but I couldn't stop thinking about it during our walk... If you don't wanna talk about it I'll understand completely.

"Ya know, I don't usually like to talk about it…" Felicity hung her head and tried to hide her disappointment. "…But there's just something about you Felicity Smoak, that makes we want to tell you all my secrets." Oliver chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh?" Felicity rose an eyebrow and looked back up at Oliver, she waited patiently for him to begin.

"…Before I worked for Willer Sales I worked in construction. The company I worked for picked up contracts to repair a lot of the damage caused by The Glades Quake."

Felicity's interest was peaked, she along with pretty much everyone who lived in Starling, remembered The Glades Quake all too well. That was the name the media had given to the massive earthquake that had almost brought the entire city to its knees almost two years ago. It was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Starling's history and the entire city suffered but one neighborhood, in particular, took the brunt of it. Considered to be the ghetto or the slums of Starling City, The Glades were typically avoided by anyone who didn't live there. Most of the city's crime, poverty, and gang violence originated in the area and its residents were looked down upon by many of Starling's upper-class citizens. One had even gone public claiming that the earthquake had been a "Blessing in disguise," and that it "Did away with the cancerous cells infecting our city." Felicity and countless other Starling residents felt that the loss of five hundred and three lives should never be considered a blessing no matter who's lives they happened to be.

In the aftermath of the disaster, a relief effort had quickly been established. Several disaster relief organizations were joined by food banks, Doctors from the surrounding cities, construction companies, and even a government agency under the name A.R.G.U.S. Everyone came together to save lives and start to rebuild. The media had also graced the combined effort with its own moniker and dubbed it "The Undertaking."

Felicity gazed at Oliver in awe. Even now, almost two years later the city was still recovering from that terrible day. Unbeknownst to her Oliver had been in the thick of it, all that time he'd been fighting to restore some sense of normalcy and give the survivors a second chance at a bright future. It seemed to her that each discovery Felicity made about Oliver caused the admiration she had for him to grow more and more.

"I was working on the third floor of an office building," Oliver continued. "I was a little pissed off cause my boss stuck me with a Soft Hat."

"A Soft Hat?" Felicity was confused.

Oliver chuckled, "That's what we called new guys who'd never worked construction before. They hadn't really earned their stripes yet, they were soft."

"Ah, a play on hard hat…I get it."

Oliver smiled at Felicity's words but his expression quickly changed, "Yeah… The Soft Hat and I were putting up a wall when I started noticing cracks in the ceiling, they were small at first but pretty soon they started expanding and before I knew it the entire ceiling was coming down."

"Oh God Oliver."

"There wasn't any time to think but the Soft Hat just stood there like nothing was happening, I reacted. I ran over to him and pushed him out of the way just before one of the support beams came crashing to the floor. It missed him by inches."

"But you weren't so lucky…were you?" Felicity asked already knowing the answer.

Oliver sighed and began working the muscles in his left thigh, "The beam came down on me and brought part of the wall we'd just built with it. I woke up the next day in a hospital bed at Starling general with a concussion, a broken rib, and missing everything below my left knee. To this day I have no idea how I got there."

"Oliver…that's terrible…" Felicity spoke with heavy breaths. "But you're a hero. I know that man you saved thinks so."

"Maybe, if he remembers me at all."

"What do you mean? You saved his life…that's not something that's easily forgotten."

"During the course of the investigation it was discovered that he'd been using while on the job, he'd come to work high that day."

Felicity's hands shot up to her mouth, "What? That's terrible!"

"Yeah," Oliver sighed in disappointment. " I guess that's why he didn't try to move, he was probably too high to realize that he was about to be crushed.

Felicity was flooded with mixed emotions, she felt so sorry for Oliver but she felt great anger towards the idiot that had done this to him at the same time. "How did he get away with that? Didn't the company do mandatory drug tests on new employees before hiring them?"

"Turned out they skipped on it sometimes, to save money."

"Unbelievable!" Felicity huffed and through her arms in the air. "I bet you won that lawsuit in the blink of an eye!"

"…I didn't press charges…"

"What…excuse me? Why in the world wouldn't you?"

Oliver smiled and chuckled, "As you can see my family already has enough money, I didn't need anymore. Besides the company had been really good to me up until then. I didn't want to be a part of costing good people money, time and possibly their jobs over just one mistake."

"That is no simple mistake Oliver!" Felicity exclaimed and gestured towards Oliver's prosthetic. "That was a life-altering mistake, even though you didn't want the money didn't you still want justice? Didn't you want to see it made right?"

"The guy got fired, and I heard he got locked up for dealing not long after. That's justice enough for me."

Felicity was beside herself, how could Oliver suffer such a traumatic experience and not want to hold the responsible people accountable? _"What a mystery you are_ …"

"…Ok you've asked me a personal question, now it's my turn."

"Oh…ok." Felicity was taken off guard.

"Why haven't you told your mother that you aren't working for HIG?"

Felicity was really caught off guard now, she hadn't expected that at all. "Well…I…"

"So you missed your shot at a position back then. That doesn't mean another one won't ever come around, and you had to find somewhere to work until one did. There's no shame in working for Willer Sales Felicity, you should be proud of what you've accomplished."

"But I-"

"I bet your mom would still be proud of you no matter where you work," Oliver continued not giving Felicity a chance to speak. "If she sees you like I do, then she knows what an amazing person you are. How could she not? She's your mother after all."

"…Oliver…" Felicity stared down at the ripples her toes made in the water as she wiggled them, she almost regretted confiding in Oliver about her unattainable dream of working for Curtis Holt. Oliver's question brought back somber memories that Felicity had done her best to suppress up until now.

Several years ago, when Donna had mostly recovered from her battle with Tuberculosis and the Smoaks moved back to Starling City, Felicity had gone straight to Holt's HQ. Although it had been months since she'd interviewed there Felicity hoped and prayed that there would still be some sort of position open at the company. She would even have settled for scrubbing the toilets if it meant she got to spend her days in the presence of fellow techies and super geniuses. Unfortunately, according to the secretary at the front desk, all positions were filled and they weren't looking to hire anytime soon. Felicity had expected as much, but still, she was heartbroken. However, the pain she had over losing the opportunity of a life time wouldn't compare to that of hearing the sadness in her mother's voice when she delivered the bad news.

"Mom, hey…it's me," Felicity spoke into her phone as she exited the building.

"Felicity, hi babygirl! So how did it go, did they love you? Silly me what am I saying of course they loved you. So when do you start? Oh, I'm so happy for you baby!"

"I…I um…" Felicity couldn't get the words out, she knew that if Donna found out that she didn't get the job it would crush her. Donna would feel like it was her fault that her daughter missed out on her dream job and Felicity wasn't about to do that to her mother, not after all she'd been through. "I start next week," Felicity blurted out and tried to sound excited.

"Oh, that's amazing hun!..."

"Felicity?" Oliver's voice ripped Felicity from the memory. "You should tell her the truth."

Felicity looked up into his deep blue eyes, "It's not that simple."

"I don't see why it's not."

Felicity's eyes widened as she matched Oliver's gaze, she was a bit shaken by his persistence. At first, Felicity questioned whether or not she should be offended, but she remembered that he'd just opened up to her about a very personal and private issue so It was only fair that she did the same. Felicity let out a deep breath and centered herself before speaking. "It's not that simple because my mother is a very fragile person. She went through months of feeling like death, and I don't mean figurative death I mean that there were a few times where we thought death was literally knocking on our door trying to take her. I left Starling to be with her because I love her and I wanted to help her get through that terrible time in her life, whatever the outcome might have been. I would have gone no matter what because she's my mother and I need her in my life more than anything, but she doesn't see it that way.

"What do you mean?" Oliver was confused.

"Mom feels like she was a burden to me back then, she thought I gave up everything I ever wanted just for her and it took me a _long_ time to convince her otherwise. If she ever finds out that I didn't get that job it'll kill her, maybe literally…I can't let that happen…ever. That's why she has to keep believing that I work for HIG, that's why I have to lie to her."

Oliver nodded in understanding, "Still…it must be difficult, keeping such a big part of your life a secret from her."

"I do it to protect her." Felicity sighed and looked up into the sky, as much as it pained her to admit it she knew Oliver was right, about everything he'd said. Felicity let out a sigh of relief when a loud chime interrupted the awkward silence that had formed between them, it had come from Oliver's phone.

"I just got a text from Thea, mom's meds have arrived and she's awake. If it's ok with you we'll head over there and check on her one more time then head to Big Belly Burger."

"Absolutely!" Felicity yawned and stretched before turning around and slipping her feet back into her heels.

"If you'd like I'm sure we could find a pair of Thea's or mom's shoes that you could borrow. With all the money spent on shoes in this house over the years, there's gotta be something more comfortable than those heels lying around." Oliver chuckled.

"Thanks but that's ok,"Felicity replied as she and Oliver rose to their feet and began walking. " I've actually got a spare pair of sneakers in the car. Wait till you see em they're so cool, they were actually designed by Curtis Holt himself! The heel counters have binary code stitched in and the inner soles look like circuits and wires oh it's the best! The best part are the tongues, each one has the HIG logo on it and under the tongue, a signature from the man himself! And the soles glow in the dark, how frikin cool is that? I may have spent a few weeks worth of paychecks on them but it was worth it!" Felicity turned and looked up at Oliver who was grinning from ear to ear and failing to fight back his laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Oliver replied as he calmed himself. "It's just really nice to see this side of you…I'm really glad I dropped my phone today because if I hadn't we wouldn't be here right now… And I'm really enjoying getting to know you better, Felicity Smoak."

Felicity matched Oliver's stare and lost herself in his piercing blue eyes, it was amazing to her how deeply he effected her on so many levels. Their attraction to each other may have started out as purely physical but the more time they spent together the more apparent it became to them both that this was quickly becoming something more. Felicity was ok with that.

* * *

 **A/N- Hello all, thanks for reading another chapter! Just a heads up I'll be starting the next chapter of "Smoak Technologies" soon so be on the lookout. Thanks again and happy reading!**


	6. The Family

**A/N- Another big reveal. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6-The Family

"Ok, before we go in there and you meet my mom, there's something you should know about her." Oliver turned to felicity and placed a hand oh her arm to halt her.

Felicity closed her eyes and tried to ignore the spark she felt at Oliver's touch. Felicity took a deep breath and looked Oliver in the eyes, "Ok, you have my undivided attention. _"Not that you didn't already."_ Felicity hoped she'd manage to keep that last sentence in her head.

Oliver took a breath and centered himself. "My mother has dementia."

"Oh…wow." Oliver quirked an eyebrow. "No, I'm so sorry I wasn't trying to be insensitive! It's just…I wasn't expecting…I don't know what I was expecting. Dementia, that's such a cruel disease." Felicity reached out and brushed Oliver's elbow with her fingers, "I'm so sorry Oliver."

"Thank you." Oliver tried to keep a strong face but Felicity could see the turmoil welling up inside, he took another deep breath and let it out before continuing. "It seems like you have some knowledge of it so I'm sure you know that she can't remember things too well." Felicity acknowledged with a nod. "She probably won't recognize me at all, she doesn't always remember that she has a son. If she does recognize me she might call me by my father's name, she'll occasionally think that I'm Dad."

Felicity's heart ached for Oliver. After everything the man went through, everything he'd sacrificed, only to have his mother slowly taken away from him by a disease that he couldn't really help her fight. Felicity couldn't imagine a worse fate than that, she tried to be strong and calm the quivering in her jaw as Oliver continued.

"One more thing, as Mom's mind has gotten worse she's been known to make rude comments to people she hasn't met before. Please don't take it personally, she doesn't mean any of it. I doubt Mom even knows what she's saying half the time anymore."

"Of course," Felicity replied. "I understand completely."

"…Ok then…" Oliver's lips curved into a forced smile and he quickly wiped at a tear before it got a chance to fall.

Felicity took a deep breath of her own as Oliver turned the doorknob and lead her through, she could tell that he was doing his best to calm himself and put on a happy face as they walked into the living room.

"Hi, Mom." Oliver greeted somewhat cheerfully.

Felicity peered around the door frame and followed Oliver further into the room. An older woman, who Felicity assumed was Oliver's mother, sat in an armchair facing them and a younger woman knelt down beside her. _"That must be Thea."_ Oliver had to greet his mother again before she looked up.

"Mom? I don't have a son, who are you?"

Felicity's eyes turned to Oliver, although he tried to hide it she could see that he was hurt by the woman's words.

"Yes, you do have a son." Oliver let out a deep breath and cautiously walked over. Felicity hung back and hoped she wouldn't be noticed, she wasn't ready to introduce herself quite yet. After crossing the room Oliver knelt down opposite Thea and looked up into his mother's confused eyes. "My name is Oliver, I'm your first born. Do you remember me at all?"

A tear welled up in Felicity's eye as she watched, both Oliver and Thea were gazing up at their mother with such need in their eyes. It was as if they were begging and pleading with her to remember something, anything about her own child. Sadly their hopes were in vain.

"N-no, I'm sorry. I don't know who you are."

Oliver hung his head and let out a long sigh, then he looked back up at his mother and smiled. "That's ok, we'll try again later."

Thea wiped a tear away and rose to her feet, she walked over to a nearby window and covered her mouth with her hand as she looked out. Felicity could tell that Thea was trying to keep from losing her composure, and felt she might soon be doing the same.

Oliver took his mother's hand in his own and whispered a few words to her before rising and joining Thea at the window. Thankfully, rather than looking up and noticing that a complete stranger was standing in her living room, the older woman reached for a small piece of pink paper that had been resting on the table beside her chair. Oliver's mother proceeded to fold the paper in several different ways, stopping every so often and pressing a hand to her forehead. Oliver's voice drew Felicity's attention away from the curious sight. "Is everything taken care of?" Oliver placed a hand on his sister's back and drew comforting patterns along her shoulder blades.

"Yeah," Thea replied in a weary voice. "But you know the doctor changed her dosage last visit. We need to go over the instructions with Raisa."

"Right, just give me a sec." Oliver gave his sister a light hug before turning and walking towards Felicity. "You think you'll be ok for a couple of minutes?"

"I uh…I guess so." Felicity tried to sound confident, but inside she was begging Oliver not to go.

"I'll just be right over there, ok?" Oliver pointed to the kitchen.

 _"That's too far, much too far!"_ Felicity's brain cried out, but she dismissed it and replied with a calm smile. "Ok."

Oliver returned the smile and nodded before turning and following his sister into The Kitchen. As they exited the room their Mother's head suddenly shot up.

"Thea dear, would you bring me some tea? Chamomile please, I have a terrible headache."

"I'll bring it right out Mrs. Moira!" Raisa's voice rang out, Thea quickly countered saying she could do it. Moira let out a small groan and returned to her folding.

Unsure of what to do with herself, Felicity cautiously took a few steps forward. Once satisfied that Moira was distracted by her project, Felicity lowered herself onto the couch. She spent what seemed like an eternity aimlessly looking around the room, what she was looking at Felicity had no idea, but there wasn't much else to do in an awkward situation such as this. Felicity's heart almost stopped when she happened to glance in Moira's direction and found the older woman staring her down with an intense gaze. Felicity mustered up every ounce of courage she could get her hands on and gave Moira a timid wave. "Hello, ma'am my name is Fe-"

"Thea,"Moira interrupted her. "I thought I asked you to bring me some tea. You know which cabinet it's in, run along now." Moira gestured to the kitchen with an expectant look.

"Oh, I um…no I'm not…Thea is…" Felicity panicked, she turned and looked into the kitchen for help. Everyone had their backs turned but Felicity noticed Oliver raise his head.

"That's not Thea Mom, Thea's right here making your tea. That's my friend, I brought her over to meet you. Her name is Felicity." Oliver explained all of this without so much as a glance in their direction. If there was ever a time Felicity was grateful for the eyes he seemed to have in the back of his head, it was right now.

Thankfully Moira seemed to calm down after hearing Oliver's words, she turned to Felicity and gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry dear," Moira spoke softly. "I get names and faces mixed up sometimes. The old thinker doesn't work like it used to."

"That's perfectly ok," Felicity replied. "Mine gets so burned out sometimes, I'm surprised that it still works at all." Felicity chuckled at her own joke, Moira must not have understood as she simply returned to her work. Hoping that the awkwardness was Over, Felicity pulled her phone from her pocket to check a few e-mails.

"So, you're a friend of his, is that right?"

Felicity jumped at the sound of Moira's voice, she quickly put her phone face down in her lap and looked up. "Sorry, what was that?" Moira turned her eyes to the kitchen, Felicity followed her gaze and realized who Moira was referring to. "Oh, yes ma'am that's right."

"How did you two meet?"

"At work," Felicity replied

"That doesn't surprise me, he's always working so hard. He truly is a wonderful man, wouldn't you agree?"

Felicity smiled and watched Oliver as he spoke with Thea and Raisa, "Oh most definitely...I haven't had too many friends during my life, but your son has definitely been the best by far." Oliver suddenly turned around to place something on the island behind him, he shot a quick glance into the living room. The two's eyes locked but Felicity quickly turned around in a desperate attempt to hide her rosy cheeks.

"My son?" Moira brought Felicity back to reality. "I don't have a son dear, that's my husband Robert."

Felicity's lips curved into a confused frown. It seemed that the moment of clarity Moira had been granted had passed, she was gone again. Felicity leaned back and wiped an unshed tear from her eye, her heart broke for this family that she'd so quickly come to care for. Especially when it came to Oliver. After seeing all the struggles he'd been put through and the ones he was still facing now Felicity was sure that Oliver was one of the strongest people she'd ever met. Moments later Thea walked back into the room with Moira's tea in hand, Oliver soon followed.

"Thank you, dear." Moira accepted the mug and took a small sip before setting it aside.

Oliver watched his mother as she looked out the window and twiddled her thumbs, after several moments he sighed and turned to Felicity. "You ready to go?"

"Oh…uh yeah." Felicity quickly returned her phone to her pocket and rose from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Moira asked in a distressed tone.

"It's ok Mom," Oliver replied and walked over to Moira. "Felicity and I are just going out for some dinner."

"…No, I don't want you to go!" Moira was becoming agitated.

"It's ok Mom," Thea quickly interrupted. "I'm gonna stay right here with you, and Ollie will be back soon."

"Oh…" Moira turned and looked up at her son, "You will?"

"I sure will," Oliver smiled.

Moira's gaze turned to Felicity, "Is your friend coming back too? I enjoyed meeting her."

Moira's question caught Felicity off guard but she quickly recovered, "I'd love to ma'am, I really enjoyed meeting you as well." That seemed to put Moira at ease, she nodded to Felicity then reached for another piece of colorful paper and started a new creation.

Oliver smiled at Felicity and gave her an appreciative wink, he leaned down and placed a light kiss atop Moira's head. "Love you, Mom," Oliver whispered before saying goodbye to his sister and leading Felicity to the door. "...Thank you for that."

Felicity's eyebrows rose, "Huh? Oh of course, she's probably already forgotten who I am though." Felicity chuckled nervously.

"Probably…but I appreciate it all the same." Oliver looked down into Felicity's eyes, she felt paralyzed by his stare. Their faces were so close, all felicity would have to do was stand on her tip toes to close the gap and kiss him. She found herself fighting with her heart tooth and nail to keep from doing just that, but just as she was about to give in Oliver turned the doorknob.

"You hungry?"

Felicity opened her eyes and took a tiny step back, frustrated that she'd Been torn from the moment she let out a small sigh, "Definitely." The two stepped out onto the porch, Oliver again reached for the doorknob but before he could shut the door Moira's voice rang out.

"Don't forget You have a board meeting at QC with your Father tomorrow, he expects you to be on time for this one!"

Ignoring the statement, Oliver sighed and shut the door, he flashed Felicity one more smile and descended the front steps.

 _"QC…board meeting…"_ Felicity thought to herself, she'd heard those initials before _._ Felicity continued to rack her brain as she quickly grabbed her sneakers from her car and joined Oliver in his. _"QC…QC…Queen something,"_ she glanced over at Oliver _. "Your last name is Queen…Oliver, Thea, Moira and Robert Queen. Hmm…Queen what?"_ As Oliver pressed the button for the gate it hit her. _"…Queen Consolidated! Holy Frak!... You're the…"_


End file.
